Google has announced a new feature for the top trending global searches of the past 12 months.
Launched this week in over 45 languages, the new feature allows users to explore deeper into popular topics by clicking on a trend.
It follows an update to the Google trends website itself. Google says the design update has made the site simpler and more aesthetically pleasing. Users can see updates to the navigation menu, typography and the ‘Top Charts’ section of the site, where the trending topics of the year are found.
What’s trending on YouTube?
The trends feature also lets users browse through trending lists on YouTube.
Google has said around 200 different videos will feature daily on the YouTube trending list, where watchers can explore popular videos. Current examples include a video of a Christmas charity single and a clip of Everton football players telling festive jokes.
Welcome distraction for Google?
The popularity trends may be a welcome distraction for the company, as this week the company ran into two separate legal issues in the EU, and also fought its corner in the surveillance debate.
Reports have revealed that Google faces £11.9 million in fines in the Netherlands for violations of national privacy laws. Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority has said: “Google catches us in an invisible web of our personal data without telling us and without asking us for our consent”.
Meanwhile it has emerged that Google news will no longer be available in Spain due to a change in their publication laws. The change would require news services to charge Google for sharing their stories, a demand with which the company is unwilling to comply.